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Military

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

No ink on negative. Standing woman in military costume and seated man in front of fireplace with WLI recruitment poster. "Portrait of Man" is written on the envelope in which this negative was originally filed, negative in good condition.. "8 AGFA SAFETY FILM" edge imprint

Cite as

Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

This Confederate Army frock coat would have been worn during the American Civil War. It is a single breasted gray wool frock coat with eight brass State of Virginia buttons down the front. The buttons depict the Virginia state motto of "Sic Semper Tyrannis" around an image of Virtus standing over a defeated Tyranny. The bottom button on the chest is missing, and two buttons are missing on the back waist. There are two locations with missing buttons on the back of the skirt. There are three smaller brass buttons on the right cuff and two on the left cuff. The top button is missing on the left cuff. There are cloth belt loops on each side just above the waist and secured with a small button on the upper end of the loop. There is single breast pocket in the left inside of the coat. The coat is fully lined with padded wool. Sleeves are lined with a polka-dotted fabric. The same fabric is used to make a fabric loop on the inside collar.

These model 1861 type III mounted trousers would have been worn by a cavalry sergeant in the U.S. Army Calvary. Pair of unlined sky blue kersey wool twill trousers with a six tin button fly and six large tin buttons around the waist. There are two vertical slash pockets set into the side seams of each leg and a single watch pocket on the right side of the waistband. The waistband facing and the side pockets are cotton. There is a "V" shaped slit and two reinforced eyelets at the back waist. There is a second layer of wool kersey reinforcement which runs from the seat of the pants down the inside each leg to the cuff. A 1 5/8" stripe of yellow wool tape extends from the top of the pocket to the cuff on the outside seam of each leg. There is a one inch slit at the bottom of the outside seams of each cuff and a pair of small tin buttons on the bottom inside and outside seams of the inside of the trouser leg. The numeral "12" is stamped on the waistband facing on the back left side. "A & S Oct 10th, 1864" is stamped on both sides of the waistband facing. A number "8" is written on the right pocket in red.

These model 1861 type I dismounted trousers would have been worn by an artillery sergeant in the U.S. Army. Pair of unlined sky blue wool twill trousers with a six button fly and four large buttons around the waist. Buttons are made of tin. There are two vertical slash pockets set into the side seams of each leg and a watch pocket on the right side of the waistband. The waistband facing and pockets are made of cotton twill. There is a "13," and a "3" in two places and "SA" stamped on the waistband facing. The fabric used for the right pocket has a partially legible word stamped on it, which reads "llings". There is a "V" shaped slit with two reinforced eyelet holes for waist adjustment at the rear waist. There is a red 1 1/2 inch wide wool tape stripe extending from the waistband to the cuff on the outside seam of each leg. The trousers are unlined. There is a one inch slit at the bottom of the outer seam of each trouser leg.